BRUSSELS, Feb  3, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - European Union foreign policy chief
Josep Borrell on Saturday called on all parties to avoid further escalation in
the Middle East after US strikes on Iran-linked groups in Syria and Iraq.

"Everybody should try to avoid that the situation becomes explosive,"
Borrell said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

The United States launched air strikes against Iranian forces and allied
militias in Iraq and Syria on Friday, with President Joe Biden vowing more to
come in retaliation for a deadly drone attack on an American base in Jordan.

Borrell said the US response was expected after Biden signalled that
Washington would hit back.

"Certainly every attack contributes to the escalation, and the ministers
have expressed their serious concern for this process," he said following the
meeting.

"We can only call on everybody to understand that at any moment from this
series of attacks and counter attacks, a spark can produce a greater incident."

Borrell said that in a bid to calm the spiral of violence the EU would
launch a naval mission in the Red Sea this month to help protect international
vessels from attacks by Yemen's Huthis.

Borrell said the mission would be "defensive" and not conduct any attacks
on land against the Yemeni rebels.